Thousands of students stayed away from Sacramento schools Wednesday as a walkout by teachers, counselors and nurses entered its second day. Meanwhile, San Jose's 29,000 students attended their second day of school in classrooms staffed by teachers who came very close to striking but at the last minute accepted a tentative contract offer. In San Diego, teachers prepared to go back to school next week with a 6.4% pay hike approved by school trustees Tuesday.

Matadors call it poetry, this art of taunting, of mesmerizing--and ultimately, yes, of killing--a warrior bull. They call it beautiful. Their critics prefer "barbaric." So when two bullfight enthusiasts keen on promoting the sport started a matador school here, a clash was sure to follow. It did. And now, in a dispute that has revved fierce passion on both sides, the Humane Society is investigating the school for cruelty to animals--even though no bull is ever used in training.

Matadors call it poetry, this art of taunting, of mesmerizing--and ultimately, yes, of killing--a warrior bull. They call it beautiful. Their critics prefer "barbaric." So when two bullfight enthusiasts keen on promoting the sport started a matador school here, a clash was sure to follow. It did. And now, in a dispute that has revved fierce passion on both sides, the Humane Society is investigating the school for cruelty to animals--even though no bull is ever used in training.

Thousands of students stayed away from Sacramento schools Wednesday as a walkout by teachers, counselors and nurses entered its second day. Meanwhile, San Jose's 29,000 students attended their second day of school in classrooms staffed by teachers who came very close to striking but at the last minute accepted a tentative contract offer. In San Diego, teachers prepared to go back to school next week with a 6.4% pay hike approved by school trustees Tuesday.